Journalists and non-editorial staff voted in favour of a motion declaring their commitment to the Australian Council of Trade Unions' Change the Rules campaign, following a speech by the union's secretary Sally McManus on Wednesday.

The motion was drafted by the Community and Public Sector Union, which represents non-editorial staff along with some television and radio presenters, but was read to the floor by senior reporter Stephen Long. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance – the journalists' union – also promoted the event to members.

The outcome has caused division among ABC journalists, with some feeling ambushed into backing a politically-charged motion without warning.

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The motion noted the public broadcaster faced "serious challenges that threaten its ability to do its job for the Australian people" and that "ABC union members will not be silenced on our watch".

It went on to say: "We will continue to champion for fairness in our workplace which is why we are committed to Change the Rules."

The ACTU campaign seeks to extend industry-wide bargaining across the economy, give workers greater powers to strike and the Fair Work Commission arbitration powers that would make it easier for unions to win higher pay.

Liberal senator Eric Abetz – a former industrial relations minister and strident ABC critic – said journalists' attendance at the meeting and vote of support "exposes them as players and activists, not as impartial reporters".

Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O'Dwyer said it would be "anathema" to the ABC's editorial code of practice, which requires journalists to be impartial, for them to "engage in partisan campaigning".

She said she expected "all employees of the ABC are fully aware of their obligations under their code of practice, particularly when it comes to impartiality".

Estimates of how many journalists attended the meeting ranged from a dozen to 100. Two attendees said about a quarter of the Sydney newsroom that day was in attendance. Sources said staff-elected ABC board director Jane Connors attended, but Ms Connors would not respond to questions.

Sinddy Ealy, ABC section secretary for the CPSU, described the meeting as a "joint union special event" with members from both unions in attendance. The journalists' division of the MEAA is not affiliated with the ACTU or the Labor Party.

One MEAA delegate said the motion was "annoying" and placed journalists in a difficult position.

"We just don’t move motions like that," they said, adding it was not something the MEAA would ever have done.

Paul Murphy, chief executive of the MEAA, said ABC journalists were entitled to express their view on Australia’s industrial relations framework.

"I don’t see it is a political campaign, it’s an industrial campaign," he said.

"Journalists are also workers, and have the same right as anyone in the workforce to advocate and campaign on conditions of employment and industrial issues."

An ABC spokeswoman said in a statement: "Our journalists are professional and always report on issues dispassionately."

But Senator Abetz said the fact journalists had supported the motion on Wednesday was concerning.

"This again highlights the culture within the ABC as being self-absorbed, inward-looking, with an extreme left-wing slant and not aware of what they should be doing," he said.

"True professionals, irrespective of their personal views, would not allow themselves to be involved in such a highly politically-charged issue."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has promised to look at the ACTU's proposal for industry-wide bargaining to be extended across the Australian economy, empowering unions to strike across industries.

Ms O'Dwyer and business leaders say the ACTU plan, if implemented by a Labor government, would herald "a new era of industrial chaos" with rolling stoppages and prove "disastrous" to the Australian economy.

The union boss went straight from the meeting to her scheduled interview with ABC The Business host Elysse Morgan, which aired on Wednesday night.

Ms McManus used the interview, an extended 15-minute version of which is on the ABC website, to spruik the Change the Rules campaign, seizing upon the latest wage growth data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in support of her argument that Australia's workplace laws were broken.

The data, released on Wednesday, revealed that hourly pay rates had increased 2.3 per cent nationally over the past 12 months, marking the highest annual growth rate in three years.

But the ACTU said the rise, which the government described as proof wages were moving "in the right direction", was insufficient to keep up with the cost of living.